Container



March 12, 1929. c. LENFANT CONTAINER Origiaal Filed Feb. s, 1926 Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,705,284 PATENT orrics.

' CHARLES vn'nrnnr, or NEW YORK, N, Y.

CONTAINER.

Application filed February 5, 1926, Serial No. aegis-1f Renewed August 1, 1928.

ing an article holder open at one of its endsv and an enclosing case therefor embodying integrally connected resiliently yieldable side walls having rounded ends movable towards and from each other and adapted to close the open end of the article holder.

' Thus, when the holder is bodily moved in one direction between the side walls of the case to exert pressure against the rounded ends thereof, said ends of the case walls are sprung apart and the open endof the holder projected beyond the same to enable the contents thereof to be easilywithdrawn.

It is a further object of the invention in one embodiment thereof to provide the side walls of the case with integral means conlining the article holder between said case walls against lateral shifting movement relative thereto and to also provide suitable means whereby the article holdermay be supported in its projected position.

It is a further general object of the invention to provide a'case or container having the above novel features which is of exceedingly simple construction and can therefore, be manufactured and sold at eompartively small cost.

lVith the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the improved container and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of its several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawin s and subsequently incorporated in the sub joined claims.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated several simple and practical embodiments of my invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view'of one form of my improved case or container showing the same closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the container open;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view with the parts in closed position;

4: is a similar view showing the container open as in Fig. 2; i

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1, showing a slightly modified form of the device;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of said modification similar to Fig.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view similar to Fig 5 showing another embodiment of the inven tion, and I Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view illust-rating a further alternative construction.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and for the present more particularly to Figs. 1 to i thereof, the container as therein shown includes an article holder 5 of general parallelogrammatic form and which may be provided. with a central transverselydisposedpartition 6 to divide the holder into sepa rate compartments. The side walls 7 of said holder are cut away at their upper ends or recessed as indicated at 8*for the more convenient ext action of the articles contained therein,-and said. side-walls are integrally connected at their lower ends by the convex or rounded end wall 9'. The edge walls 10 of said holder at theirupper ends are also rounded as at 11. I

The article holder 5 above described which may be constructed of leather, cardboard, sheet metal or other suitable material, is en closed within an'outer-case which consists of a stamped resilient sheet metal plate'bent to provide spaced side walls 12 normally ex tending in parallel relation to each other and integrally connected at one oftheir ends by the rounded or convex end wall 13. The other end of each of the side walls 12 is also rounded and bent inwardly as at 1 1, the edges of said curved inwardly extending walls 12 normally closely contacting with each other so that when the case is closed asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, the open end of the article-holder 5 is completely closed by said ends la of the side walls of the case. On theopposite side, edges of each of the walls 12 the integral arms 15 are formed, said arms extending at right angles to the case walls'and overlapping upon each other when the caseis closed as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. 'It will thus be understood that thesearms 15 pre vent lateral shifting movement of the article holder 5 between the side walls of the case.

The curvedor convex bottom wall 13 of the case is centrally provided with an opening 16 whereby pressure may be applied against the end 9 of the holder 5 to project the open end of the holder beyond the end of the case so that access may be had to the contents of said holder.

From the above description, the construc tion and manner of use of this embodiment of the device will be clearly understood.

It will be noted that when the case or con tainer is closed, the holder for the cigarettes is very closely confined and held against movement within the outer sheet metal case and since the ends 14 of this case extend closely around the open end of the holder 5, the cigarettes will also be held against individual shifting movement within said holder in the lengthwise direction of the latter. he single metal sheet constituting the outer case may be conveniently formed from aluminum, brass, silver, gold, or other precious metal and m ay be suitably ornamented. The inner holder for the cigarettes can be made of leather as heretofore noted and by contrast with the outer metal case, the device when closed will present a very neat and attractive appearance. When it is desired to obtain access to the contents of the holder 5, it is only necessary to apply the finger to the lower rounded end wall 9 of said holder through the opening 16 of the caseand thereby force the other end of the holder against the inwardly turned ends ll of the case wall. Such pressure of the rounded ends llof the edge walls of the hold er against the ends of the case walls, urges the latter apart to the position shown in 2 of the drawings, so that the open end of the article holder isprojected beyond the same. It will also be noted that the arms 15on the side walls of the case still extend upon. the edge walls 10 of the holder so as to. retain thelatter between the case walls. After the cigarette has been withdrawn, the holder may be returned to its former position, and the side walls 12 of the case will automatically return to their normal closed positions with the edges of the ends 1 1 thereofcontacting with each other over the open end of the holdor 5. 3

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, I have shown the side walls of the outer case provided with vertically extending slots 17 to receive suitable pins 18 fixed to the opposite side walls of the holder 5. In this case the convex lower end wall ofthe outer casewhich connects the side walls 12 thereof is not provided withthe opening 16 above referred to, since the article holder is shif ed relative to the outer case by means of the pins 18. Otherwise, this construction is the same as that previously described.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, I have shown a construction similar to that in Fig. 1, except that instead of providing the narrow arms 15 on the side walls of the case, these walls are formed on their opposite edges with the inwardly projecting flanges 19 which extend the entire length of said walls, the opposed edges of said flanges being spaced apart sufficiently to permit of the free relative movement of said walls. Thus, in this construction, it will be understood that the opposite side edges 10 of the article holder' are practically completely covered and concealed from view by the flanges 19 when the case is closed.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings, 1 have shown the opposite side walls of the holder 10 provided with vertically spaced horizontally extending ribs 20 thereon. Thus, when the holder is projected to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the edges of the inturned ends 14 of the case alls 12 will engage beneath the ribs 20 nearest the open end of the holder and thus support said holder upon the case walls. The other rib 20 on each side wall of the holder is provided for the pur rettes or like commodities which is simple and inexpensive in its construction as well as convenient and serviceable in practical use. The device may, of course, be produced in various sizes and also in other forms thanthat herein specifically described Accordingly, it is to be understood that while I have illustrated several preferred forms of the device, the same is nevertheless, susceptible of embodiment in still other alternative structures, and I accordingly,reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes in the form, construction, and relative arrangement of the several parts as may be fairly embodied with in the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: 1. A container comprising resiliently connected side walls, having relatively stiff opposed meeting end portions, an open ended article holder positioned between the side walls and adapted to be moved to project its open end outwardly beyond the meeting end portions, and means on said article holder to engage said opposed end portions of the container walls to part the end portions in advance of the projection of the contents of. the article holder.

2. A container of the character described comprising an article holder, and, a case and closing an open end of the article holder, said holder having cam parts adapted to be projected longitudinally between the case walls and against said meeting ends thereof in advance of the holder to force said ends in relatively opposite directions and position the open end of the container beyond the ends of said case walls, the integral connection between said case walls having an opening therein whereby the finger may be engaged with the end of the article holder to project the latter, each of said side walls of the case having means on its opposite edges extending over the side edges of the article holder to prevent lateral shifting movement of the latter between said case walls, and said article holder being provided upon'the opposite sides thereof with means adapted to coact with the edges of the separable ends of said case walls to support the holder in its pro j ected position with relation to said Walls.

3. A container comprising a pair of resiliently connected side walls, meeting end portions formed integrally therewith to form' a complete end closure, an article holder hav ing an open end slidable between the side walls, said article holder being adapted to be projected outwardly between the meeting edges of the end portions to position its open 4. A container of the character described comprising an article holder, and a case therefor embodying integrally connected resil-- iently movable'side walls having opposed end portions movable towards and from each other and normally extending over and closing an open end of the articleholder, said holder adapted to be projected longitudinally between the case walls and against said ends thereofto force the latter in relatively opposite directions and position the open end of the containers beyond the ends of said case walls.

5. A container comprising resiliently connected side walls, opposed meeting end portions thereon, an article holder positioned between the side walls and adapted to be projected outwardly between the meeting end portions, and means to part the end portions in advance of the projection of the article holder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

CHARLES LENFANT. 

